It is a well known and common problem with modern plumbing, which employs drains for sinks and the like, that clogs will inevitably develop in such drains over time. Such clogging of drains is especially prevalent where the drains are connected to sinks and bathtubs and similar plumbing components.
While some such clogs result from non soluble objects being unintentionally deposited into the drain, typically a more common cause for drain clogging is a build-up of hair and other organic material that is flushed into a drain. There are many devices offered professionals and homeowners to unclog drains on such an occurrence. Such include, flexible plungers, metal plumber's snakes and some particularly caustic choices, such as the many different chemical substances sold in supermarkets and hardware stores which can have unhealthy impacts on the environment when flushed downstream.
For example, there are plunging devices sold which employ fluid pressure which causes a pushing and pulling force to be imparted to the clog to attempt to dislodge it into the sewer system for the home or business. Such work well on clogs which are not fibrous but are not adapt at dislodging hair and the like, and such plungers do not work well when adjoining sink drains converge to a common outlet, since pressure from the plunging will generally communicate to the unclogged adjoining sink.
Another widely employed sink cleaning device uses a metal snake device which elongated from coils of a flexible metal member. Such devices work by forcing a spiral wire on the end of the flexible metal member into the drain in an attempt to fracture or break up a clog through forcing the metal member through the clogging material.
These and other drain cleaning components generally work well to remove clogs in drains formed by material other than hair. In hair clogs, the blocking of the drain generally is positioned within the trap. This is especially true of bathroom drains where, due to constant use, hair strands washed down the drain are entangled in the mechanics within the drain employed to seal and unseal the drain plug in the sink.
Additionally, the above noted mechanical drain cleaning devices and methods, generally require that the drain plug be disengaged from the mechanical components within the sink in order to function effectively. While some flexible member cleaning tools are deployable into a drain without removing the plug or stopper, such an endeavor is fraught with peril since the snaring flexible member can easily break the fragile plastic engagement of the drain plug distal end with the pivoting rod within the drain. Unfortunately, such a mechanical disengagement and drain disassembly, is generally beyond the mechanical abilities of most home and business owners. They thus employ cleaning devices at the risk of damaging the closure actuation system of the drain, or seek the help of a plumber or other drain cleaning professional at a cost in money and time to the sink owner.
The disclosed device herein provides a combination drain plug, engageable to conventional drain pop-up mechanical systems, which also includes a flexible member adapted for removing clogs and hair within the draining. The flexible member is slidably engaged within the drain plug and includes barbs and/or recesses configured to grasp onto hair and other fiberous and enlogated material in the drain and remove it. The flexible member can be repeatedly inserted and removed by a user without the need to dissasemble or disconnect the drain plug from the pivot rod in the drain and actuation lever used to translate the drain plug between a sealed and open configuraton with the sink drain.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitations related therewith in the area of sink clog removing art are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the drain closer with disengageable drain cleaner described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art are already known or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.